LeBron James Wants Charles Barkley to ‘Shut Up’ About Dwyane Wade

Whenever he’s asked about the Miami Heat, Charles Barkley talks about Dwyane Wade’s supposed decline. Wade looked like his old self last night against the Atlanta Hawks, hitting 11 of 13 shots on his way to 26 points in an easy win, and his teammate LeBron James took the opportunity to playfully fire back at Sir Charles. Per Fox Sports: “Wade seems determined these days to provide reminders that his best days are not behind him, contrary to what a certain man with avoirdupois issues has been spouting on the air. Barkley regularly has been using his platform as a TNT analyst to rip a guy he used to star alongside in cell-phone commercials. ‘I’m not the all-time leading scorer around here for nothing,’ Wade, in his 10th Heat season, let it be known after shooting 11 of 13 and scoring 26 points. Wade claimed after Monday’s game he ‘really didn’t listen to the noise’ that is mainly coming from Barkley. But Wade’s teammates disagree, saying Wade, 30, knows quite well about Barkley’s claims that his game is falling off rapidly. ‘It means Charles Barkley, you shut up,’ Heat forward LeBron James said about what Wade showed Monday. But when James thought more about it, he doesn’t want Barkley to close his mouth. It sure seems to be motivating Wade. Barkley was critical of Wade during a Nov. 29 TNT broadcast and Wade two days later scored a season-high 34 points against Brooklyn. After Barkley continued to rip Wade last Thursday, Wade has scored 26 points in each of the past two games while shooting 20 of 25. ‘The man is shooting 80 percent the last couple of games,’ James said. ‘Come on. That’s crazy. Seriously … He’s unbelievable. I do (want Barkley to keep criticizing Wade). I love it. When someone’s not saying stuff about me, I’m glad that somebody finally got off me for a change.’”